When I was small, my mum used to give the family something special for meals —she would make breakfast food for dinner.  

I still remember one night my mum   31    some bread in front of my dad, something very burnt. I waited to see if anybody noticed. To my surprise, my dad just took his    32   , smiled at my mum and then turned to ask me how my day at school had been. I've   33   what I told him that night.   34   I do remember watching him put some butter on that bread. He  35   as usual, every single bit. 

 After dinner, my mum said   36  to my dad for burning the bread. And I never forget what he said, "I    37    burnt bread, dear. It doesn't matter at all. "

38    , I went to kiss Dad good light. I asked him if he really liked his bread burnt. He held me in arms and   39  , “Your mum worked very hard all day. She's really _40_. And you see—a bit of burnt food never hurt anyone!”

    Now I know life is not perfect. _41_ is perfect, either. As for me. 1 often forget birthdays or some other special days. But I've learned something _42_ over these years. What we really need is the understanding of each other, whether between a husband and wife, a parent and _43_ or just between two friends. This is the key to a happy  44  .

So don't get angry if the bread gets burnt. Remember.    45  bread never hurt anyone. Be kind to those around you and a happier life will surely come closer to you.

31. A. cooked      B. put  C. found  D. bought

32. A. glass        B. milk  C. spoon  D. bread

33. A. decided      B. known  C. forgotten D. imagined

34. A. But         B. So  C. Because   D. And

35. A. threw it away    B. ate it up   C. put it away   D. looked it up

36. A. hello        B. goodbye      C. no        D. sorry

37. A. hate         B. love    C. make       D. save

38. A. After school  B. Before dinner  C. Later that night    D. The next morning

39. A. shouted      B. said     C. laughed        D. continued

40. A. tired        B. excited    C. worried        D. interested

41. A. Everybody   B. Anybody   C. Nobody       D. Somebody

42. A. important    B. difficult    C. funny         D. easy

43. A. student      B. brother      C. sister        D. child

44. A. class        B. party         C. life        D. story

45. A. burnt        B. cheap       C. fresh        D. cold

We went into a secondhand shop to get out of the rain.
I took my 6-year-old daughter’s hand and we started to walk around. Suddenly she reached out her hand to touch a pair of shiny black shoes.
“Buy for me?” she asked.
“Oh, Sweetie, they are tap dancing (踢踏舞) shoes. You aren’t taking tap dance.”
“Buy for me?” she repeated.
“Well, let’s try them on.”
She sat on the floor and took off her bright pink rain boots . When she stood up we heard “click”. She took a step, “click, click, click.”
The sun came out and we went on our way. Our next stop was the grocery store(杂货店).
“Click, click, click…” people turned to look as we entered the store. People would never allow their ?daughter to wear tap dancing shoes to the grocery store .
“Excuse me, dear. Why would you allow your daughter to wear tap dancing shoes here?  They make such a noise.”
“Isn’t it wonderful?”
“Wonderful? My dear, this is not the place to wear those shoes.”
“You don’t understand. When she was a baby, doctors told us that she would never walk or talk. It has taken a lot of hard work and patience, but she asked for the shoes and the ‘click, click, click’ says that she can walk,” I said.
My daughter is 18 now and will graduate from grade 12 in June. It has not always been easy, but it has all been worthwhile (值得做的). She has taught me that it doesn’t matter what others think. They don’t walk in your shoes.

【小题1】Why did the mother and daughter go to the secondhand shop?